virgin

The Hebrew and Greek that is mostly translated as “virgin” in English can be translated as “woman that is untouched” in Batak Toba or “a woman with a whole (i.e. unopened) body” in Uab Meto.

“Similar words for ‘girl,’unmarried young woman,’ suggesting virginity without explicitly stating it, are found in Marathi, Apache, or Kituba. Cultural features naturally influence connotations of possible renderings, for instance, the child marriage customs in some Tboli areas, where the boy and girl are made to sleep together at the initial marriage, but after that do not live together and may not see each other again for years. Hence, the closest attainable equivalent, ‘female adolescent,’ does not imply that a young girl is not living with her husband, and that she never had a child, but leaves uncertain whether she has ever slept with a male person or not. Accordingly, in Luke one has to depend on Luke 1:34 to make clear that Mary and Joseph had not had sexual intercourse. A different problem is encountered in Pampanga, where birhen (an adaptation of Spanish virgen — ‘virgin’), when standing alone, is a name of the ‘Virgin Mary.’ To exclude this meaning the version uses “marriageable birhen,” thus at the same time indicating that Mary was relatively young.” (Source: Reiling / Swellengrebel, see here)

In Navajo (Dinė), the term that is used is “no husband yet” (Source: Wallis, p. 106) and in Gola the expression “trouser girl.” “In the distant past young women who were virgins wore trousers. Those who were not virgins wore dresses. That doesn’t hold true anymore, but the expression is still there in the language.” (Source: Don Slager)

The term in Djimini Senoufo is katogo jo — “village-dance-woman” (women who have been promised but who are still allowed to go to dances with unmarried women). (Source: Übersetzung heute 3/1995)

In Igbo translations, typically a newly-created, multi-word phrase is used that very explicitly states that there has not been any sexual relations and that translates as “a woman (or: maiden) who does not know a man.” This is in spite of the fact that there is a term (agb͕ọghọ) that means “young woman” and has the connotation of her not having had sexual relations (this is for instance used by the Standard Igbo Bible of the Bible Society of Nigeria for Isaiah 7:14). Incidentally, the euphemistic expression “know” (ma in Igbo) for “having sex” has become a well-known euphemism outside of Bible translation. (Source: Uchenna Oyali in Sociolinguistic Studies Vol. 17 No. 1-3 (2023): Special Issue: Gender and sexuality in African discourses )

In Chichewa, it is translated as namwali which is used to refer to a girl who has reached puberty stage and is ready to get married. Apart from the physical aspect, the word also has social implications in the sense that it is used to recognize the fact that the girl has become responsible enough to make informed decisions and take care of herself and others. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

See also virgins (Revelation 14:4) and complete verse (Matthew 1:23).

complete verse (Deuteronomy 22:14)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Deuteronomy 22:14:

  • Kupsabiny: “That man may even false accuse the woman saying, ‘I married this woman, but then I came to realize that she is/was not a virgin.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “and to disgrace that woman he might speak falsely, saying, "When I married this woman, I did not get to see the signs of virginity."” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “and slandered her. He said, ‘I have-discovered that when I laid-down beside with my wife she was not a virgin anymore.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “and he says false things about her, and claims that she was not a virgin when he married her.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Deuteronomy 22:14

The verse begins with two complete statements that are to be understood together, and not as separate actions: charges her with shameful conduct, and brings an evil name upon her. This may be expressed as “He defames her, falsely accusing her of sexual immorality.” The context shows that the accusation is false. New International Version has “slanders her and gives her a bad name.”

I took this woman: that is, “I took this woman as my wife” or “I married this woman.”

When I came near her: this refers to the first time he made love to his wife. Contemporary English Version has “when we slept together.”

The tokens of virginity: as the following context shows, this is the bleeding caused by the rupture of the hymen of a virgin. (The hymen is the membrane that partly closes the opening of the vagina.) The blood would stain the bed sheet, and the bloodstained bed sheet served as proof that she was a virgin. This can be difficult, if not impossible, to describe in some languages, but the general “I discovered [or, found out] she wasn’t a virgin” may be enough, in view of the details given in verses 15 and 17. Good News Translation may serve as a model on how to handle this. If translators feel that a further explanation is needed, this may be placed in a footnote or glossary item. Many languages will have a term for “virgin,” but in some languages translators will need to use a phrase; for example, “young woman [or, girl] who has never been with a man” or “… who has not slept with a man.”

Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Deuteronomy. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .